Audi is running with a new promotional technique in which they use cleaning agents to “paint” the sidewalks in New York City. A great choice in location, considering the cleanliness of the city.

The images created on the sidewalks depict how if only one-third of Americans drove clean diesel, we’d reduce our dependence on foreign oil by 1.5 million barrels a day. I’m glad Audi is really pushing the diesel thing, and now that driving a diesel vehicle is no longer a dirty and smelly experience, I’m really hoping that it catches on in America.

A few facts about diesel:

Clean diesel engines reduce carbon emissions by 20% over gasoline and are 30% more fuel-efficient.

One drop of diesel fuel has 12% more power than one drop of gasoline.

If one-third of Americans switched to from gasoline to clean diesel, it would be the equivalent of planting 2.2 billion trees.

Diesel is currently less expensive than gasoline nationwide. While this may change day-to-day, it does come back to the issue of America’s dependence on gasoline and being dependent on speculative commodity price fluctuations.

Below is a video released by Audi showing the benefits of diesel technology: